Report suggests radical rethink of church

-20/1/04

The Church of England needs to radically rethink the way it organises its local churches and serv

Report suggests radical rethink of church

-20/1/04

The Church of England needs to radically rethink the way it organises its local churches and services including dropping Sunday as the primary day of worship, a report has suggested.

It concludes that most people prefer to use Sundays for resting, spending time with their families, watching sport or doing DIY.

The report paints a bleak picture of the state of church and proposes radical changes after the number of people attending services fell to under a million.

It states that while some are still keen to attend services, “it is no longer feasible for them to do that regularly on Sunday”.

The report by a team led by the Bishop of Maidstone, the Rt Rev Graham Cray, recommends the Church stops trying to bring people into services and “rebuild itself” setting up less formal churches that meet at other times.

Such models might include “cafe churches” for people to gather around food and drink and worship together in alternative contexts.

Report suggests radical rethink of church

-20/1/04

The Church of England needs to radically rethink the way it organises its local churches and services including dropping Sunday as the primary day of worship, a report has suggested.

It concludes that most people prefer to use Sundays for resting, spending time with their families, watching sport or doing DIY.

The report paints a bleak picture of the state of church and proposes radical changes after the number of people attending services fell to under a million.

It states that while some are still keen to attend services, “it is no longer feasible for them to do that regularly on Sunday”.

The report by a team led by the Bishop of Maidstone, the Rt Rev Graham Cray, recommends the Church stops trying to bring people into services and “rebuild itself” setting up less formal churches that meet at other times.

Such models might include “cafe churches” for people to gather around food and drink and worship together in alternative contexts.